tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post2130623652612767568..comments2016-12-09T08:18:14.147-08:00Comments on Raising Matt Cain: FailadelphiaM.C. O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12258035192484655635noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-38023870267439042272011-10-09T18:12:12.297-07:002011-10-09T18:12:12.297-07:00The Milwaukee Braves won back to back pennants in ...The Milwaukee Braves won back to back pennants in 1957 and 1958, winning the Series against the Yanks the first year and then losing to them the next. Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette were aces. Both had pitched for the Braves in Boston (&quot;Spahn and Sain and pray for rain&quot;).M.C. O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12258035192484655635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-61310187127808977572011-10-09T14:38:03.560-07:002011-10-09T14:38:03.560-07:00Sorry, should be &quot;...doesn&#39;t mean I think...Sorry, should be &quot;...doesn&#39;t mean I think they can&#39;t win...&quot;.Zonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-76524913347274443642011-10-09T14:37:12.997-07:002011-10-09T14:37:12.997-07:00I &quot;like&quot; St. Louis, of course, but that ...I &quot;like&quot; St. Louis, of course, but that doesn&#39;t mean I think they will win. Doesn&#39;t mean I don&#39;t think they can win, however. Playoffs are too much of a crap shoot, especially the first round. I would have like to have seen Tampa Bay in the final four, but three of four from my wish list ain&#39;t bad.<br /><br />I especially like how Philadelphia had, &quot;the best rotation in recent memory.&quot; That&#39;s true, I suppose, if YOUR MEMORY DOESN&#39;T GO FURTHER THAN THE END OF THE 2010 WORLD SERIES. We beat all those hosers.<br /><br />St. Louis has faced off with Detroit before, notably in 1968 and 2006. 1968 featured the last guy to win 30 games in a season. They also faced off in 1934, before my time, giving St. Louis the edge in this World Series series.<br /><br />St. Louis has also faced off against Milwaukee in the World Series - back in 1982 when Milwaukee was an AL team. Ironically, the Cardinals beat Atlanta in the NLCS that year. In addition to 1982, Milwaukee has been in the World Series only once, in 1958 when Hank Aaron and the Milwaukee Braves lost to the Yankees in seven.Zonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-22834674343665498742011-10-08T15:16:28.349-07:002011-10-08T15:16:28.349-07:00Intelligent post-loss thoughts from a Philly blogg...Intelligent post-loss thoughts from a <a href="http://www.thegoodphight.com/2011/10/8/2477350/setting-the-record-straight-on-the-phillies-2011-season" rel="nofollow">Philly blogger</a> and a <a href="http://riveraveblues.com/2011/10/on-realistic-expectations-57536/" rel="nofollow">Yankee blogger</a>.<br /><br />Nice to see that &quot;amateurs&quot; can write with insight and passion about baseball. Compare these to the silly crap the &quot;professionals&quot; are spewing about Ryan Howard, A-Rod, clutch/choke, etc. Baseball is a wonderful game and much of what what we think is controllable by players is just dumb luck. They are all great athletes trying their best. Sometimes they win and sometimes they get beat.<br /><br />http://www.thegoodphight.com/2011/10/8/2477350/setting-the-record-straight-on-the-phillies-2011-season<br /><br />http://riveraveblues.com/2011/10/on-realistic-expectations-57536/M.C. O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12258035192484655635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-71665010272245655932011-10-08T14:38:23.279-07:002011-10-08T14:38:23.279-07:00Duh, yeah, I meant Detroit.Duh, yeah, I meant Detroit.M.C. O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12258035192484655635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-61320870164008398352011-10-08T13:57:32.949-07:002011-10-08T13:57:32.949-07:00Mark, seriously, Tampa Bay was eliminated several ...Mark, seriously, Tampa Bay was eliminated several days ago.<br /><br />I&#39;m not a big Texas fan, so they would be my last choice. However, I have to say that I&#39;m OK with the teams remaining. I&#39;d like to see either St. Louis or Milwaukee beat the Tigers in the World Series.<br /><br />I agree with Jon - the Cardinals seem to have that certain &#39;je ne sais quoi&#39; right now. Great plays, along with a few lucky bounces, too. I think that it adds up to trouble for whoever they play. They have that 2010 Giants&#39; type of feeling, especially with getting into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season.Ronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-70209534943796162222011-10-08T11:42:17.736-07:002011-10-08T11:42:17.736-07:00Of the four teams remaining, Texas is clearly the ...Of the four teams remaining, Texas is clearly the best, followed closely by Tampa Bay. But Philly was the best team coming in and we all saw what happened. How can you start Roy Halladay (twice), Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt and LOSE? Crazy. <br /><br />When teams are closely matched it is better to be lucky than good in a short series. You know Philly--with those starters--would beat any team in a 20-game series. In a week of baseball, though, anything can happen. Whichever teams gets the good bounces and the good calls is going to win, and there ain&#39;t no way to predict that. I have to say the Cards defense was very impressive, that&#39;s one of those variables that makes a huge difference in a close contest but is, once again, impossible to predict which players will step up and make those great plays.M.C. O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12258035192484655635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-33592896433623548772011-10-08T10:41:58.900-07:002011-10-08T10:41:58.900-07:00I like the Cards chances. They are crazy hot at th...I like the Cards chances. They are crazy hot at the right time. Gee, I wonder who Zo likes?JC Parsonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666659454815710731noreply@blogger.com